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Combining all skills to write a cohesive five-sentence narrative paragraph.
Have you ever wanted to tell a story so clearly that your friends could see it like a movie in their heads? What if you could build a whole world using just five sentences?
A great story paragraph is like a sandwich! It needs a top bun, the filling, and a bottom bun. We call this the Beginning, the Middle, and the End. To make a perfect five-sentence paragraph, we use a special recipe: .
1. The Beginning (1 sentence): Tells the reader who is in the story and where they are. 2. The Middle (3 sentences): Tells the reader the action or what happened. 3. The End (1 sentence): Tells how the story finished or how the characters felt.
1. One sunny morning, a small cat named Luna climbed a tall oak tree. 2. She saw a shiny bird at the very top. 3. Luna climbed higher and higher until she reached the highest branch. 4. Suddenly, she realized she was too high to jump down! 5. Luckily, a kind firefighter used a ladder to help Luna get back to the ground.
Quick Check
In our 1-3-1 recipe, how many sentences are used for the 'Middle' of the story?
Answer
Three sentences.
When you write a paragraph, you must stay on the same Topic. This means every sentence should be about the same idea. If you are writing about a trip to the zoo, you should not suddenly talk about your favorite socks! This is called Topic Focus. It helps your reader follow your story without getting confused. Imagine your story is a train track; if one piece of the track goes the wrong way, the train will crash!
1. Max wore his blue jersey for the big soccer game on Saturday. 2. He ran across the green grass as fast as he could. 3. When the ball came to him, Max kicked it with all his might. 4. The ball flew past the goalie and landed right in the net! 5. Max cheered loudly because his team finally won the game.
Quick Check
If you are writing a story about baking cookies, should you include a sentence about a giant dinosaur in the middle?
Answer
No, because it does not stick to the main topic.
To make your story look professional, you must use Capitalization. We always use a capital letter for the first word of every sentence. We also use them for Proper Nouns, which are names of specific people (like Sam), places (like Paris), or the word I. Using these rules makes your writing easy to read and shows your reader exactly where a new thought begins.
Can you spot the 5 sentences and the capital letters?
1. Last Tuesday, Captain Sarah landed her rocket on the Moon. 2. She stepped out and saw white dust everywhere. 3. Sarah planted a bright flag in the cold ground. 4. Then, I watched her wave to the camera from my TV at home. 5. It was the most exciting day in history for everyone in America.
What is the job of the 'Beginning' sentence?
Which of these words should ALWAYS have a capital letter?
In a five-sentence paragraph, it is okay to change the topic in the middle of the story.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember the 'Sandwich Rule.' Can you name the three parts of a story sandwich?
Practice Activity
Write your own 5-sentence story about a dragon who loses his fire. Use the 1-3-1 recipe!